Any more pics of the pedal conversion, maybe o/s the car, looks like the way to go. How has the pedal feel/location been

 

you took the words right out of my mouth

 

I'll try to take better pics this weekend. I thought of taking pics of the pedal system when I was fabbing it, but it looked so rough that I decided not to publish some of my less glamorous work.

It was a rush job when I made it, like how engineers design most products to be cheap to make, not high in quality. It feels fine, the pedal height and travel is fine, but it takes about double the force to push in the clutch compared to my SHO, which is the stiffest clutch on a factory car I've ever felt, other than a worn out VW Dasher I had (my first car, heh).

The old style pull rod and bell crank mechanism might be my next attempt, because it's a much more efficient mechanism (no cable-sheath friction, just pin joints).

 

Forget glamor man, if it works, it works....

 

Updates? I would love to see a video.

 

I'm gonna catch a ton of **** for this, but I might as well fess up..

I blew the motor about a month ago at about 140 in 5th gear. Everything was fine, it was pulling like a ************ (as usual), a few pings like always, but when I let off there was a plume of white smoke....

I thought it was just going to be a head gasket, but unfortunately I lost about 1/6th of my #1 piston land and put a 3" vertical crack in the cylinder wall.

I learned my lesson: NEVER let the engine even ping lightly when it's putting out the ponies. It was a typical newbie case of too much timing and not enough octane.

I've got a lead on a local 351W block, and am considering replacing the 302 specific stuff with parts for the larger displacement. Either way, it's getting 91 octane and more conservative timing. The goal is 500ish bhp.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! and then YESSSSSSSSSS!!! thats gonna be a sick build so sorry about the motor though. Its sad to hear that because we all saw how much money, time, and effort it took to get that motor the way you wanted it. It's wierd though as soon as you blow up your motor I finish building mine. But think about it, that windsor motor is gonna stomp that 302. I cant wait.

 

******* up is part of growing up.

 

Damn I'm old

 

I feel like using that as my sig. because its so damn true lol.

 

I really regret not getting a video of it earlier. I had a spectacular fourth gear run up a mountain road a couple months ago. The motor had such a perfect power band; I could exit a turn at 40 and nail it, all the way up to 90 before mashing the brake and entering the next curve. In and out, the car just flung itself into every turn and straight like some kind of mini Z06. The g forces, the sound of the motor, the FC handling..... all gave me the distinct impression that I was in command of a pint sized Vette.

It was a serious 10 minute rush.

 

So my options are to repair the 302 block or go for a serious 351W build. Here is the quick analysis:



I'm leaning toward the 351 just for the additional torque. There are a lot of times when 400 ft. lbs. come in handy at 2000 rpm.

 

I really don't see why you would actually need that much tq, I'd prefer to keep it lighter myself.

 

Lol what are you planning on using that much torque for? Pulling down trees??? Man if you plan on drifting this thing all you'll have to do is romp on the throttle and it will be enough to break it loose.

 

It is nice to be able to use 5th gear for leaping out of a corner or laying the smack down.

But in all rationality, I'm pretty sure I'll just repair the block and keep it meek. It's only an FC.

 

Nice its gonna be really fast and not only that but reliable and there isn't a Turbo 2 that has that kind of power and reliability. Great Build, Im still courious as to what EXCTALLY you did for your cable clutch setup. Mabie if you plan on ripping everything appart you could get a pic or two of the entire setup.??

 

I'm not sure exactly what I did either. I have a way of hacking things together without a plan, and sometimes they work out (not in the case of engine tuning or rotary porting).

I'm sure I'll have it out eventually so I can take better pics.

 

lol awesome thats what I like to hear.

 

hey quick question. how does that t5 feel and how is it holding up? thats kind of the thing thats been keeping me from jumping into a v-8 swap. no slushboxes for me and everyone tells me that the t5 will break (t56 is too much cash). I haven't noticed any mention from you about it, so it is okay?

 

It shifts great and hasn't shown any signs of trouble. 5th gear rpm is reasonable at highway speed.

 

that sounds great! I'm picking up a 90' mustang I think (still kinda debating with myself). It's going to be a lot of trouble to swap, but examples like yours really make me feel like it could be worth it. I'm a fan of reliable horsepower!

 

Yeah the only people that say T5's suck are those ls1 guys that run only t56. I have had 2 stangs and an rx7 with a 302 all having T5's and never showing a single sign of weakness. Thats just me though and they feel just like the stock Rx7 tranny in my opinion. Have fun you'll love the reliablity of these motors (unless you go 140 in 5th gear) lol just kidding

 

It's definitely worth it. I got discouraged after the motor was rebuilt and in the car, during all the wiring and rigging (which seemed to take forever). The car is far better than it would have been as a TII.

Consider:

*Instant torque response

*Smog legal

*Relatively inexpensive compared to a TII build and other V8 options

*Pay as you go mods (aluminum heads and intake can wait for funds, for example)

*AWESOME power band. Leave it in 4th for typical backroad thrash sessions.

I have no regrets, other than being too aggressive with my timing.


Progress on the block repair....

The broken piston:



Cracked cylinder wall:



Ground out to prevent later growth:



A view of the oil pan situation inside the engine. Note that the JB weld sealer on the back of the welded notch is stained, but still mechanically sound after a year of oil exposure and heat cycling:



Adding a power steering rack (much needed with wide front tires) will require reworking the oil pan notch to be deeper and wider, but there seems to be enough room.

 

I'm not sure if anyone is still following this thread, but the car is alive again, as of yesterday. I'll get some numbers on it and post a vid within a week or two. And I just love the beastly sound it makes!

 

I'm not an expert on block repair. Was that the Crown Vic block with the crack?

What exactly did you repair the block with? Why didn't you just get a used block?

It seems like you could pick up an entire motor for $500 or less, a bare block should be really cheap.